Flame: Book One
by Infernal.Endings
Summary: The only thing worse than a group of socialite parents is their rebellious socialite teenagers who get into trouble. Jace, the arrogant pianist who only wants his father to publish his manuscript. Clary, daughter of two up-and-coming lawyers who wants to focus on her arts. Where can you hide when everyone reads about your every move? (Clace/Malec) (Rated M for sexy scenes)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Rising Tide

 **Songs:**

 **We're Going to be Friends: The White Stripes (Clary/Izzy/Alec/Robert/Valentine)**

 **Clique: Kanye West, Jay Z, Big Sean (Clary/Izzy/Alec/Sebastian)**

The first thing Clary noticed was the well. There was a legend about the well in the garden, but she'd never believed it. After all, legends were legends, right? There was always something so intriguing about Manhattan's own private garden, not that she'd ever been before tonight. She touched the ring with the beautiful pattern of stars that hung around a chain on her neck. It was cold against the bare skin of her chest, revealed by the swooped neckline of her pale green dress.

Her mom was busy discussing business with a man, and he was pointing avidly at her paintings. Clary wandered over to her father, who was talking to a tall, bald man and swinging a thin champagne glass in his hands.

"Ah, Robert. You've heard about my daughter, correct? Clarissa, this it Robert Lightwood, the CEO of a large law firm" Valentine said. He had a way of making himself sound smooth and melodic when he wanted to impress people, and apparently this Robert Lightwood was to be impressed. He offered Clary his hand, and she took it, shaking it.

"Hello, Clarissa" he greeted.

"Mr. Lightwood" she said with a dip of her head, something her mother had nailed into her when she was young.

"I'm sure your daughter would enjoy the company of my children" Robert suggested, and Valentine nodded. His talk with this famous Robert was going well, she supposed. Robert turned his head and called out two names, and two kids, one looking her age and one looking just a bit older. They both had black hair, but the girl had dark brown eyes, whereas the boy had striking blue ones.

"Clarissa, this is Isabelle," Robert announced, gesturing to his daughter. "And this is Alexander," he concluded, gesturing to the boy. "Children, this is Clarissa Morgenstern, Valentine's daughter."

Isabelle smiled. She was beautiful and sharp in ways that her brother wasn't. She was wearing a long, black, sequin-covered gown that clung to her very apparent curves and made her look like a lounge singer. Well, that and her matte red lips and the large rube pendant that hung from around her neck. Isabelle extended her hand, her fingers nimble and her nails done beautifully. Clary shook her hand.

"It's so nice to meet you" Isabelle purred. Her voice was like velvet, and it sounded like silk and sandpaper all at once. Alexander stood uncomfortably next to Isabelle.

"It's nice to meet you, as well" Clary sighed. No matter how hard her mother tried, she would never be the way Isabelle was, the way she carried herself and spoke was exactly what her mother wanted. Instead, Clary was blessed with a squeaky voice, unruly red hair, no curves, and a short, petite body.

"Why don't we go make sure Sebastian hasn't run away from us yet?" Alexander suggested. Isabelle nodded, and she glanced at Clary.

"Clarissa? Would you like to join us?" Isabelle offered. Clary looked at her father, who was completely emerged in his conversation with Robert. She turned back to Isabelle and nodded. Isabelle led her and Alexander away from the adults and towards the back of the well.

"Oh, god. I hate acting like that" Isabelle groaned. Her voice was no longer velvety, but it was that of a bored and average teenage girls. She didn't carry herself the same; she slouched a bit and walked differently in her heels. Alexander seemed to relax more.

"You're good at it, though. My mom's been trying to get me to be that perfect since the day I came out of the womb" Clary sighed. Isabelle laughed, and Clary though maybe the emotionless Alexander cracked a tiny smile.

"It's one of the perks of being a kid of rich parents" Isabelle said with a shrug of the shoulders. Clary nodded. She knew exactly what Isabelle meant.

"You can call me Izzy, and you can call my brother Alec" Isabelle- Izzy- announced. Clary nodded.

"You can call me Clary. Clarissa is sort of a mouthful" Clary sighed.

"So is Alexander" Alec said. It was the first sentence she'd heard him say all night, though she hadn't been with them long. He sounded the way he looked, sad and angsty.

"Here we are," Izzy said, gesturing to the separate part of the garden. Teenagers crowded the area, empty champagne glasses littering the only empty places to sit. "The rich kids hangout of the rich parents hangout." Her description made absolutely no sense, but Clary understood, still. Teens in glittery dresses and freshly-pressed suits were hanging in groups. A boy with pitch black hair approached them and wrapped his arm around Izzy's waist, pulling her close.

"Sebastian, this is Clary Morgenstern" Izzy introduced. Sebastian gave her a smile.

"I know your older brother" he pointed out.

"Oh, Jonathan? Funny, he's never mentioned you" Clary said the way you would when you found out new surprising information.

"We're just mutual friends" Sebastian mumbled with a shrug of his shoulders. Clary nodded, awkwardly glancing away from Sebastian. She could feel his eyes watching her as she scanned the crowd. None of them were very familiar, but there were a few faces she'd seen before but whose names she'd forgotten. Her eyes scanned over an angry looking blonde boy in an oversized suit with a tie slung around his neck, a full champagne glass in his left hand and his right arm slung around a blonde girl wearing a tight red dress with a slit up the leg. He was watching her, his golden eyes looking at the glint of the ring that hung on her chest. The blonde girl he was with snapped her fingers in front of his face a few times, glared at Clary, and pulled his face towards hers, pressing her bright pink lips to his. Clary looked away, her orange-red curls hitting her face.

Sebastian and Izzy were emerged in conversation, and Alec was half-watching a tall half-asian boy with dark hair and a sparkly scarf wrapped around his neck and half-watching his sister.

"So, Alec," Clary started, feeling a bit guilty as he snapped his head away from the boy he was watching. "What college are you thinking about going to?"

Alec smiled at the question. "Something local. My parents really want me to go to Berkeley, but it's all the way across the states, and- Well, I just don't want to. I'm leaning towards NYU, but if I ever told them that, they'd kill me" he finished with a shrug.

"They wouldn't _kill_ you" Clary sighed, but Alec shook his head.

"They might. I haven't heard of a Lightwood who didn't go to Berkley" he explained.

"Maybe they're just not telling you?" Clary offered. She'd only just met Alec, and she felt bad for him. He seemed troubled, wanting to do what his parents wanted but not really wanting to at the same time. He tugged at the sleeves of his jacket.

"I doubt it. Great great great grandparents, all went to Berkeley. That might have just been because they all lived in California, though" Alec joked.

"Did your parents live in California?" Clary asked. The Lightwoods were a mysterious family, she had to admit. They looked perfect, but they seemed completely out of it. The kids did, at least. But that was common, wasn't it? If the parents were rich, strict, and overbearing, then the kids weren't likely to turn out that way.

"Yeah. We just moved to New York a few months ago" Alec said. Clary shrugged.

"What school does Izzy go to?" Clary asked. Alec smiled.

"Calhoun" Alec said, almost sounding bitter. Clary understood. Calhoun was tough, and it was expensive. She'd wanted to go, but art could only get you so far. She'd tried the piano, but there was no way it was happening. She'd gone through instrument after instrument, violin to cello to harp, but nothing would get her a scholarship to the damn school. Not even academic scholarships. She'd settled for St. Xavier's. At least they appreciated her art, though she still had to take lessons for her current instrument, which happened to be the piano.

"Oh. I go to St. Xavier's" Clary sighed. Alec shrugged.

"Don't tell her I told you this, but she'd doing terrible in most of her classes. Our parents want to switch her to Regent or Brearley, something that's less money, because they don't think she's worth the money" he whispered. Clary was shocked. Yeah, Calhoun was expensive, but it was amazing, and everyone who got in was worth it. They didn't let people in just because of the money. It was a long test of how good your past grades were and what you brought to the table. At least St. Xavier's was more relaxed.

"That's awful," Clary gasped. Alec nodded. "i'm sure they didn't mean it."

"They say it all the time. In my opinion, she just needs to stay away from her damn boyfriend" Alec growled. It was evident he didn't enjoy the Sebastian boy who was wrapped around Izzy at the moment. He shot him a quick but furious glance, then turned back to Clary.

"He seems nice" Clary sighed with a shrug. The sky was darkening, and her arms were prickled with gooseflesh. At some point, she'd taken a champagne glass, but it was still full, and it looked flat. She lifted it to her lips and took a swig. It wasn't flat, so much as cheap-tasting. She cringed.

"It's not real champagne. Some drug store crap" Alec elaborated when he saw Clary's sour expression. She set the glass down.

"I can tell. My god, how do they drink it?" she asked, swallowing the bitter and flat drink and cringing some more.

"They drug it. Spike their own drinks. I think the logic is that it helps them drink the champagne and forget about whatever daddy issues they've got" Alec sighed, his eyes sneaking back over to the boy in the sparkly scarf who he'd been looking at earlier. The boy was handing what looked like a sugar packet to a stick-thin girl with an overly-large breast in a nearly see-through purple lace dress. She moved her fine, blonde hair aside and brought her blood red lips to the boy's neck. Alec went rigid and turned his head away. Clary pretended she didn't notice anything, and she ran her eyes around the crowd again.

Everyone fit into their clothes. They all looked regal and like they belonged, but Clary felt so out of place. She knew her dress made her look curvy, even though she wasn't. She knew the low neckline looked good, but she had no boobs, so what was the point. Her grandfather's ring around her neck was only so that the attention would be drawn away from her lack of anything woman-like. Her heels added maybe two more inches to her twelve-year-old height, and her hair was straightened, but she could feel it frizzing.

Izzy tapped her shoulder. "It's a Friday, right?"

Clary nodded.

"We're all going to Pandemonium later. You want to come?" Izzy asked. Clary glanced behind her for no reason other than to make sure her father wasn't lurking, which he wasn't.

"Definitely" Clary said with a smile.

"Great! So do you want to exchange numbers, and you can text me your address? We'll probably pick you up at ten" Izzy explained. Clary nodded and handed Izzy her phone so she could put the numbers in. It was only seven thirty, and the sun was gone completely. Clary smiled to herself awkwardly. Izzy handed Clary's phone back to her and smiled.

"Don't dress nice. Dress for _him_ " she said, winking and pointing in the direction of a boy with rumpled brown hair and a holy shirt underneath his suit jacket. He winked at Clary, and she felt her cheeks flush. She turned away from the boy and smiled cheekily at Izzy, who gave her an all-knowing smile back.

 **.o.0.o**

"Bullshit. All of it" Jace said, slamming his hand onto the table. Hodge jumped back in surprise. Jace was never usually this loud, or this violent.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Jace" Hodge said, his voice wavering. Hodge had been living with the Wetlands for nearly three years now. He was his father's best friend, and he had no where else to go. He easily turned himself into a business man and worked as Michael Wayland's personal assistant at the publishing company Jace's father owned.

"I'm sure you didn't, Hodge. But You can't really be serious?" Jace asked, bit calmer, pointing to the giant creme file with a giant red stamp on the front. _Denied_. All of his hard work, and for _this_?

"You know it's not my call, Jace" Hodge sighed. Jace nodded, picking up the file that held the manuscript he'd been working on for years. This was the tenth time it was rejected.

"But don't you at least have a say in it?" Jace asked. Hodge shook his head, his face covered in half-sympathetic regret.

"I wish I did. Your work is absolutely amazing. Maybe you should…" Hodge trailed off. Jace shook his head.

"'Maybe I should' what? What were you going to say, Hodge?" Jace asked. Hodge sighed and swallowed.

"Maybe you should try a different publisher?" Hodge offered. Jace scowled.

"No. As much as I want to, no. If I do that, my dad will never forgive me" Jace said finally, and turned away, stalking up the stairs to his bedroom. He swung open the door, meaning to flop onto his bed, but stopped.

A halo of fair hair shone under the lights of his room. Kaelie Whitewillow. She smirked at Jace, then at her discarded sparkly red dress. Jace held back a cringe. He didn't like messes, especially those made by infuriating girls who were amazing in bed. Those messes were the hardest to clean up. She frowned when she saw his sour expression.

"What's wrong, baby?" she slurred. He knew she wasn't drunk. She was high, she'd spiked her champagne at The Garden.

"Nothing," Jace growled, tossing his manuscript onto his desk. "My dad's just being a huge asshole again, and Hodge won't help me."

Kaelie smiled. " I have the perfect solution" she whispered, grabbing the collar of Jace's dress shirt and pulling him close.

"And what's that?" he asked. He knew what it would be. Pandemonium, where she could look perfect among those who she called 'mere mortals'. It never bothered Jace that she just wanted him to sleep with and show off. He didn't want much to do with her, either. She was pretty, and she was sometimes fun to be around.

"Let's go to Pandemonium. I haven't been since last month" she purred. Jace held back a laugh. It was September first, a Friday. She'd gone last week, bringing him along with her, of course. Jace knew he couldn't say no. If he did, he'd never live it down. Endless whining. Endless complaining.

"Fine" Jace sighed, pulling away from Kaelie. Her perfume was nauseating. She frowned at him and walked over to his desk. Her thin hands wrapped around his manuscript.

"You're still trying with this? Jace, it's not _good_. You're manuscript is terrible. You're not a good writer" Kaelie murmured. Jace paused and turned to Kaelie.

"Get dressed and get out of my house" he said abruptly. Kaelie looked at him, shocked.

"You don't mean that, Jace" she sighed and stepped towards Jace. He shifted back.

"Yes, I do. Take your dress and get out" he said, his voice steady. Kaelie bent to pick up her dress and slipped into it.

"You're such a crybaby, Jace. 'Oh no, my daddy didn't accept my manuscript'," she zipped her dress up and turned to him. "Or was it that red head at The Gardens? Because, darling, she's not _legal_. Did you really see her? Or were you looking at that slutty dress she was in?" Jace snorted.

"Kaelie, this has nothing to do with my manuscript or anyone else. Get out" he ordered, pointing towards his bedroom door.

"You don't have to be so sore about everything, Jace" she sneered, storming out of his room and shutting the door behind her, not to quietly.

Jace locked his door and flopped back onto his bed, his manuscript in his hand. He knew it was missing something. It was supposed to be about finding yourself, but how was he supposed to make his character- a figment of his imagination- find himself when he couldn't even find a tiny piece of himself, dammit. He flipped open the manilla folder and took the wrinkled pages out. The men had ripped his dream apart and hadn't even had the curtesy of leaving the paper nice. They hadn't even given him pointers for the inevitable next time his manuscript made it into their office. Bastards, the whole lot of them.

His phone vibrated on the nightstand. With a tired hand, he reached out and grabbed it, bringing it to his ear and answering, not bothering to check who it was calling him.

"Hello?" he muttered. There was a familiar laugh on the other end of the line.

"What do you want, Isabelle?" he grunted. More laughter.

"I got an angry text from Kaelie. She said you weren't going to Pandemonium with her, so she wasn't going to go. But Alec and I are going, and he wanted to see if you wanted to come" Izzy elaborated. Jace sighed inwardly. Everyone was always trying to get him to go out. He had college applications to fill out, homework to do, and his manuscript to slave over.

"If not, I'm sure Alec will be fine, but he's pretty upset and he won't talk about it with me, and I can't guess what it is. He'll probably talk to you, though" Izzy rushed out, and Jace realized he hadn't said anything.

"No, it's fine. I'll go" he said, sitting up and leaning his torso forwards. He heard the dull tone of Izzy's voice shift into a happier one.

"Good," she squealed. "We'll pick you up soon, okay? We've just got to pick up my friend first."

"Sebastian?" Jace offered. He knew Verlac pretty well. He was an intern at his father's company, and he felt like rubbing it in Jace's face each day. Of course it was harder for Jace to work there. Michael wouldn't have people thinking he favored his kid, and he'd told Jace just as much.

"No. Sebastian has 'business' he needs to obtain to" Izzy sneered. Jace wanted to ask who this new friend of Izzy's was; she wasn't exactly the _friendliest_ person, but Izzy rushed out a fast goodbye and hung up, leaving Jace sitting with his phone to his ear and a dead line on the other end.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Crucifix

 **Songs:**

 **Trndsttr: Black Coast ft. M. Maggie (Izzy/Clary)**

 **Arcadia: White Sea (Clary/Raphael)**

 **Here I Am: Asking Alexandria (Jace/Kaelie)**

 **I Went Too Far: AURORA (Jace's thoughts)**

 **Murder Song (5,4,3,2,1)(acoustic): AURORA (Jace/Clary)**

He was older than she though he'd be. Izzy had described her brother's best friend as older, yes, but Clary hadn't thought she'd meant a good two years separated her and the unbelievably attractive boy who had just slid into the car and was sitting behind her.

"So, Clary, that's Alec's best friend. His name is Jace, and he is possibly the biggest asshole I've ever met." Izzy took her eyes off the road for one minute to glare, sarcastically or not, at Jace, who rolled his eyes at her.

"And Jace, this is Clary. She's nice. Don't try to defile her, or I _will_ de-man you, and you know that's not an empty threat." Clary tried not to flush at the though of Jace 'defiling' her, as Izzy had so blatantly said,

"You don't have to worry about that. She's not my type anyways" he scoffed, and Izzy rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please, Jace. _Everyone_ is your type" she sighed, and removed herself from the conversation. Jace looked like he had a comeback, a good one, at that, but he kept silent. Izzy's threat didn't seem like an empty one.

Pandemonium looked like a normal club. Clary stepped out of the car, her nude heels hitting the ground. She tugged on the hem of her tight, black dress. She'd wanted to wear a loose yellow dress, but Izzy had handed her the piece of faux-leather spandex and then straightened Clary's hair and tossed it around until it looked wind-blown. Clary felt, to say the least, uncomfortable. She'd shrugged one of Isabelle's fake fur coats on over the small dress to block out the fall air, and she felt out of place. The dance club wasn't prestigious, not at all. She'd never seen more than half of the people who littered the outside of the club, their eyes watching them as the security guards checked Alec's ID and let the rest of them in.

The club was black with lights tossing pinks and yellows and blues around them. Someone took Clary's coat from her, and she made her way with Isabelle into the crowd. A few eyes lingered on them as they passed through the first part of the club, but not enough to phase Clary, or apparently Isabelle, though Izzy was probably used to this. Clary had only been once before.

They stopped in front of a large curtain made of black silk. It was sheer, and red lights could be seen flashing. Izzy pulled the curtain aside and stepped in, yanking Clary in after her. It was a similar crowd, many people had been at The Gardens, but Clary couldn't find the boy she was looking for. The boy Isabelle had pointed out earlier.

"Is Sebastian coming?" Clary asked. Izzy turned to her, her long black hair flipping over her shoulder.

"No. He's to 'busy', but I'm sure he had better plans" Izzy sneered, and Clary could hear the bitterness in her voice. She wanted to console Isabelle, but she would probably only make it worse. Izzy recovered from her slum quickly, and pointed across the room.

"Him. Go talk to him" Isabelle pointed. The boy she pointed out stood across the room, his skin pale and his hair dark. A crucifix hung from his neck, and the collar of his shirt was loose and there was a jean jacket lazily slumped over it.

" _Him_?" Clary asked, incredulous. His eyes weren't on them, they were on a girl who had just walked in. Izzy nodded, and Clary swept her fiery hair over her shoulder. It looked even redder in the flashing blood-colored lights of the room. She made her way over to the dark-haired boy.

His eyes caught her, and as much as she wanted to stop or look back at Izzy, she didn't. She was confident enough to do this, right? And she'd come here to have a good time. The boy smirked at her. His attention was off the blonde girl who looked vaguely familiar, but Clary couldn't place it. She gave him a small smile back and sidled next to him.

"What's a little girl like you doing here?" the boy said smoothly. Clary smiled.

"I'm sixteen" she stated. The boy laughed and ducked his head so he was closer to hers.

"Is that so?" he asked. Clary nodded, feeling heat flood to her face. He smelled like cologne and champagne and cigarette smoke. The gold crucifix on his neck glinted red in the lights, and it was close to Clary's face.

"It is," she sighed. "What's your name?" she asked. The boy laughed.

"Raphael" he whispered. Clary shivered and glanced back at Isabelle, who was where to be seen.

"I'm Clarissa" she sighed. Raphael put his hand on her shoulder and stood up straight.

"Clarissa, do you want to get out of here?" he asked. Clary smiled and nodded, giggling like a schoolgirl. Raphael snaked his arm around her waist and walked her to the very back of the club where a neon exit sign hung above a door. Without giving Clary another glance, he pushed the door open.

The fall air nipped at her bare skin, and she shivered. The door shut behind them.

"Are you cold?" Raphael asked. Clary nodded, and he slipped out of his jean jacket and put it on her. He smirked.

"What?" Clary asked, inhaling the crisp New York air. It was only ten thirty, maybe eleven. Late enough where no one was in cars, only underground.

"You look hot in my jacket" he murmured, putting his lips to her neck. Out of instinct, Clary's hands went to his shoulders. Raphael took that as an invitation, and nipped at the soft skin on her neck. He moved his mouth to hers, kissing her hard. His hands moved to her back, then to her hips, and to her ass. She pulled back, but Raphael leaned forwards. Clary took her hands off his shoulders and moved them back to his hands, trying to pry them off of her, but Raphael gripped tighter, pulling her closer to his body. Clary sucked in a breath as Raphael moved his mouth to her collar bone, one of his hands sliding his jacket aside. His mouth went lower, his chin hitting the neckline of her dress. Clary placed her hands on his chest and pushed, but he was to strong. That, or her small size, no matter how strong, was not strong enough to push him off of her. She tipped her head back and tried to push again.

"Get _off_ of me!" she cried. She felt Raphael smirk against her chest as he moved his mouth lower.

 **.o.0.o**

Something was off with Alec. Izzy had told him so, and he could sense it, but Alec wouldn't talk, no matter how many times Jace handed him a beer or asked tiny questions. Eventually, Alec had told Jace to go have fun without him. It was a seemingly Alec-like gesture, so Jace left.

"So, I see you came without me" a high voice came from behind him. He turned begrudgingly towards the noise, coming face-to-face with Kaelie. She had changed since she'd left his house. Her hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail, and she was in a short pink dress decorated with gold and blue sparkles.

"I don't need you to have a good time." Jace rolled his eyes. Kaelie took a step towards him and smirked.

"Oh, you can do it by yourself, then?" she sneered. Jace sighed.

"That's not what I meant-"

"Good god, Jace. I don't want to hear about that. I know you don't want me gone" Kaelie whined. Jace resisted the urge to yank her hair out. He knew it was a girly desire, but dammit, the color was giving him a headache. Instead, he turned away from her and walked towards the exit of the club. He could hear her heels following him, and her nimble hand planted itself on his shoulder.

"Take me back home with you? I'm sure your parents won't mind the noise?" she whispered seductively into his ear. She was right. His parents wouldn't mind 'the noise', and neither would Hodge or their maid. But it didn't change the fact that he was mad at Kaelie because yes, she'd insulted his manuscript. The manuscript he'd worked so hard on.

"No thanks, Kaelie. I'm sure you can find another boy to fulfill your fantasies" he scoffed, and continued towards the door of the club. It wasn't the entrance, but a side exit. Somewhere he knew he could be alone for a few moments before having to go back in and deal with people.

"But I don't _want_ another boy! I want you to do it, Jace-"

Jace whipped around. "Leave me the fuck alone, Kaelie" he said sternly, and walked out of the side door. He leaned against the brick wall of Pandemonium's outside and let the cold air wash over him.

He and Kaelie had been, well, whatever they were since eight grade. Everyone knew. They weren't exclusive, but he didn't sleep with anyone else, either. He was sure Kaelie did, but whenever she needed someone to attain her torrid fantasies with, she went to Jace. He'd let it get to far out of control. He'd let Kaelie and her stupid games get in the way of his own wants. He'd let her get in the way of his music, his piano. He'd let her get in the way of his soccer, his schoolwork, his _everything_. Especially his manuscript. The thing he cared most about, more than his family, at this point.

His family. His damn father, the one who wouldn't let his manuscript get through no matter how many times Hodge pressed, no matter how many times Sebastian said good things about it. Jace tipped his head back against the brick wall.

"Get _off_ me!"

He snapped his head up from his revere, turning towards the cry. He hesitated. Maybe it had been part of his imagination, but the cry came again, followed by a string of Spanish.

"Perra estúpida. Cállate."

Jace took a few steps towards the corner, turning around it. A boy with dark hair and pale skin stood, his hands pinning a small girl against the wall. The girl turned her head, and a flash of orange-red was visible. _Clary_.

Jace silently walked towards the two, his hand closing around the boys arm. The boy jerked back, his face turning towards Jace.

"Qué mierda, hombre? Suéltame, bastardo. No ves que estoy en medio de algo aquí?" the boy cursed. Clary looked shocked.

"Salir de aquí antes de que llame a la policía en su culo, conseguido eso?" Jace sneered. The boy laughed.

"Crees que soy miedo de la policía , niño bonito? Pruébame."

Jace twisted the boys arm, and he winced.

"O le gustaría que yo cuidaré de ti mismo?"

The boy paled, his skin getting lighter. The boy turned to Clary briefly, muttering something in Spanish, before writing out of Jace's grip and racing down the alley.

Jace watched as Clary dropped the jean jacket she was wearing off her shoulders and lift the neckline of her dress up. Red marks lined her arms. Jace bit his lip to restrain himself from saying anything he knew he would regret.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Clary bit her lip, her eyes welling with tears. She looked as if she were about to say something, but instead, she threw herself into Jace's arms, her body shaking with every ragged breath she took.

"God, thank you," she whispered, her voice muffled against his t-shirt. She looked up. "I didn't know you could speak Spanish."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," Jace said with a smile. "And you're welcome."

Clary dipped her head back into his t-shirt. Jace looked at the top of her head, the way the orange glittered in the moonlight-

His phone buzzed, knocking him out of the moment. Clary drew back from him, her eyes puffy and wet with tears. He pulled it from his pocket, clicking 'answer'.

"Where'd you disappear to, man?" Alec's voice came from the other line, static and forced.

"I, um, stepped outside for a second. Kaelie wouldn't get away from me" Jace sighed. Clary had turned away from him and was rubbing furiously at her eyes.

"Okay," Alec seemed hesitant. "I can't find Izzy, so we won't be leaving anytime soon. Just making sure you were okay."

Making sure _he_ was okay. Alec had always been protective of Jace, no matter how many times Jace said he was fine and could protect himself. Alec's little brother had died in a car accident with Alec when he was just six, Alec seventeen. Alec had been closed off since his brother's death, but he often exerted his elderly brother instincts on Jace. Alec wasn't okay, and everyone who knew him could see that, but checking on Jace made him feel better. And truly, it made Jace feel a bit better as well.

Alec had hung up, and Jace slipped his phone back in his pocket. Clary had stilled in front of him.

"Oye, estás bien?" he muttered. Clary turned around, her face stiff.

"Sí. Estoy bien. Gracias por salvarme, guapo" she said sternly, walking past Jace. He let her go, his own body frozen. _Yes. I'm fine. Thank you for saving me, handsome._ Jace shook off the feeling. He didn't get feelings like that; fuzzy feelings that made his stomach fill with warmth. Not even from Alec and Izzy. Not even from his parents when he was younger, before they'd dropped him with a line of nannies and babysitters.

Jace looked up. Clary was standing not to far in front of him, her face turned up to his. He smiled.

"You look lost," she choked out. "In your thoughts."

"I'm right here" he reassured her with a forced smirk.

"You seem a thousand miles away" she whispered, turning her head away. Jace dropped his smirk, his lips turning into an unwarranted smile.

"I swear," he sighed. "Do you need something?"

"I know I said it, but… Thank you."

"No need to thank me" Jace bolstered. Clary took a few steps forwards, closing the space between them. Jace looked down at his feet as she stood on the tips of her toes and pressed a small kiss to his cheek before turning back to the side door of Pandemonium and re-entering the building.

Jace smiled to himself, cramming his hands into his pocket.

"So, she's your girl, then?" a deep voice said from behind him. He turned to face the boy with dark hair.

" _Dios mio_ , don't you take hints?" Jace sighed. The boy rolled his eyes.

"Responder a la pregunta , imbécil."

"Don't tell me what to do" Jace grunted, turning away from the boy and stepping back into the club, leaving the asshole outside.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

 **Songs:**

 **Always/Never: Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes (Clary/Jonathan)**

 **Dangerous Woman: Ariana Grande(I know it's cliche) (Jace/Jonathan/Izzy/Clary)**

 **Rendezvous Girl: Santigold (Clary/Jace)**

 **When We Were Young: Adele (Alec/Jace)**

 **Sally: Bibi Bourelly (Clary/Izzy)**

"So, you haven't gotten yourself killed yet, little sister?"

Clary rolled her eyes. Jonathan was sitting on a white chair, his elbows propped up on the rose quartz countertop while she cut a tomato into slices. She set the knife down and wiped her hands off, turning towards her brother.

"It's _just_ a knife, Jon" she sighed jokingly, stepping around the counter and wrapping her brother in a hug. He'd just gotten back from college, their winter break starting early, and his internship discussing the prospect of offering him a full time job.

"No, I haven't. But if I had, I think I'd still be pretty happy to see you" she rambled. Jonathan's body shook with laughter as Clary pulled herself away. Her brother looked older, a blue tie wrapped around his neck and his gray dress shirt ironed. His pants were black, as were his shoes. He looked so much more mature than he had three years ago when he'd left for college in Wisconsin.

Clary, on the other hand, felt she looked younger. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she wore a white blouse tucked into a knee-length pink skirt made of velvet. All of her clothes made her look young. She owned nothing that Isabelle would approve of, but the tight-fitting skirt would have to do. The Lightwoods had invited Clary's family out to dinner at some formal restaurant across town, and of course, they'd agreed.

"And how would you know if I was here if you were dead?" Jonathan questioned, earning an over-exaggerated eye roll from Clary.

"My sixth sense, you idiot" she said, as though it was obvious. She turned away from Jonathan and went back to cutting tomatoes. Her mother loved to garden, and always had some vegetable on hand. She was just getting done with her tomatoes, and she'd wanted Clary to make some small salad as a snack for the family. Clary wouldn't anger her mother, no matter how tired she was of cutting things every day.

"I'm surprised your five senses are working now. I doubt you'll have a sixth one when you're dead" Jonathan exhaled, the words coming out muted. Clary shot him a death glare, but said no words.

 **.o.0.o**

The Morgensterns looked dressed to impress, but so did the Herondales and the Lightwoods. Jace was trying to covertly look at Clary without anyone noticing. If he though Izzy looked amazing that night, Clary looked three times that. He didn't know why, Izzy's dress was so obviously his style, especially more so than the white fitted blouse Clary wore tucked into a tight knee-length skirt made of velvet.

Izzy's dress was a wine colored velvet with a v in the neck that dipped all the way down to just below her breasts, and strands of pearls hung from her neck. But Clary's skirt hugged her body just right, and the dusky pink color offset her coloring-

Jace knocked himself out of his thoughts. God, he sounded pathetic. Clary wasn't his type. She was short and had no curves whatsoever. He shifted his gaze away from her and forced himself to pay attention to whatever business shit the adults were rambling about. It was nothing important, nothing that _should_ have interested Jace. Instead, he watched the blonde boy humor Clary and Izzy. He took a few steps forwards, stepping behind Izzy. She turned and smiled at him.

"Jonathan, this is my brother's best friend, Jace," Izzy said. Her voice was higher, the way it got when she was trying to impress someone. "Jace, this is Clary's brother, Jonathan."

 _Brother_. Jace felt himself relax and he took Jonathan's hand, shaking it. He shook the feeling off, the feeling of jealousy he'd felt when he saw Clary with Jonathan earlier. They didn't look like siblings, but then again, he barely looked like either of his biological parents.

"We were just talking about how Jon's getting a full-time job at his internship" Clary explained. He could hear the way she was proud of her brother in her voice. Jace smiled.

"Where is your internship?" Jace asked, directing his question towards Jonathan.

Izzy smiled at Jonathan before turning to Jace. "He works with your dad" Izzy crooned with a smile. Jace felt his body go rigid.

"Awesome. You know, it's great that they offered you a job there" Jace said, trying not to sound bitter. He was going to have it out with his dad. He knew the internship spot would never be his, but his father had reserved a spot, most likely _that_ spot, for Jace when he was ready for a serious job.

The adults ushered their kids inside, throwing them at another table and muttering something about how they would pay their bill. The waitress came, asking for their orders and such. Isabelle and Jonathan were in deep conversation, and Clary was sipping on her water awkwardly. Jace opened his mouth to speak, and she paled. Her eyes were locked in the corner of the restaurant.

"I'm going to step outside. It's hot in here" she spit out, standing up quickly and rushing out of the restaurant. Jace looked back in the direction she'd been looking, only seeing a girl with brown hair and eyes to match smirking in the direction of where Clary had left.

"Me too" Jace muttered, standing up and walking out of the restaurant in the direction Clary had gone.

He found her leaning against the side of the Italian restaurant, her head in her hands.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Clary looked up at him, her face still pale.

"Do I look okay?" she asked, an edge to her voice. Jace took a hesitant step back.

"I- god, I didn't mean for it to come out like that" she said, tipping her head back and looking up at the setting sun in the sky.

"It's alright" Jace mumbled, standing next to Clary with his back against the wall. She looked over at him.

"Why did _you_ come out after me?" she asked.

"You got a problem with me, _rojo_?" he asked. Clary shuddered at the Spanish.

"No. But jesús, español no es una lengua romántica. Trate de francés o alemán, o incluso chino" Clary exclaimed with a roll of her green eyes. Jace smirked to himself.

"Vous trouvez ce romantique, rouge?" he questioned. Clary rolled her eyes.

"Elle ne vient pas de vous, toi cocky douchebag" she shot back with a grin.

 _Not from you, you cocky douchebag_. Jace rolled his eyes.

"Oh s'il te plait. Tout ce que je fais est romantique."

Clary looked at him.

"English, please?" she suggested. Jace shrugged.

"Why?" he asked. Clary sighed.

"My French only goes so far" she elaborated.

"Would you like me to try German?" Jace wondered.

"Do those of the female sex usually surrender their innocence to you when you talk to them in different languages?" Clary asked, nearly accusingly.

"Oui, chéri" he finished with a bow. Clary rolled her eyes.

"You're such an obvious flirt" she pointed out with a grin.

"Why? Is it working?" Jace asked. He mentally punched himself. He shouldn't've been flirting with Clary. She was Izzy's friend and everything, but she was adorable, and that skirt-

"A little" she said with a shrug. Jace smirked.

"So you wouldn't mind if I did this?" he asked, dipping his head and barely kissing her before pulling back.

"Now, that's just not fair" she huffed, crossing her arms.

"Nothing is," Jace sighed with a shrug. If he was going to be honest with himself, he wanted to kiss her more. But he wouldn't. "Are you going to come back inside now?"

"Yeah" she said, following Jace back into the achingly formal building.

 **.o.0.o**

"You disappeared for most of the dinner" Alec said accusingly, splashing cold water on his face. Jace rolled his eyes.

"Why does it matter to you?" he asked. Alec stopped, and Jace could see the muscles in his back go rigid.

"It doesn't" Alec grunted, drying his face off.

"Something's bothering you," Jace accused. "Are you gonna tell me what it is, or are you gonna bitch about it?"

Alec shut the light off in his bathroom and shut the door behind him, throwing himself into the chair at his desk.

"It's nothing" he sighed. Jace rolled his eyes.

"You're not fooling anyone," Jace said, leaning forwards. He was sitting on a tan beanbag in the corner of Alec's room, his phone crammed in his pocket. "Why don't you just tell me?"

"Because it's honestly the stupidest shit ever, Jace. I'm not some pansy ass, okay? You, of all people, should know that" Alec muttered.

"Okay, yeah, but you look like you're ready to jump out the window of your apartment any second now" Jace pointed out. Alec rolled his eyes.

"Magnus asked me to move in with him" Alec blurted out. Jace frowned.

"Is _that_ what's bothering you?" Jace asked.

"It's not that, it's the fact that Camille was all over him a few nights ago, and…" Alec shoved his face into his hands.

"Alec," Jace said. "Magnus is probably the gayest bisexual man I have _ever_ had the pleasure of meeting."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Alec asked.

"Yes," Jace said. "I mean, you've been dating for what? Four years?" Jace asked.

"It's been two and a half. What are you trying to say?" Alec asked.

"I'm trying to say- god, this hurts- Magnus loves you, okay, man? If it bothers you so much, just ask him about it. Is that good enough for you? I'm done spouting this girly bullshit, I wanna go to sleep" Jace finished, and he tossed himself onto the couch in the corner of Alec's room. Alec frowned, but flicked off the lights and slipped into his own bed.

"Jace?" Alec muttered. Jace sighed.

"No girly shit, alright, Alec? I'm your friend. It's my job" Jace said, finalizing the conversation. He shut his eyes, blocking out whatever conversation may have followed, but he found himself lying awake hours later staring at Alec's ceiling.

 **.o.0.o**

"You have to be the most plain rich person I've ever met, much less worked with" Izzy sighed. Clary huffed.

"I don't understand why you're doing my makeup? It's nearly ten at night" Clary said. Izzy, with a curling wand in her hand, twirled around.

"Have you never had a friend who does your makeup before? It's fun, and when I'm done with you, you can do _my_ makeup!" Izzy exclaimed. Clary huffed, but she let Izzy do her hair, watching in the mirror as Izzy curled it into tight curls, then ran her fingers through it until it sat nice on Clary's shoulders. Clary thought it made her look so much younger, but Izzy claimed it made her look many years older.

Next, Izzy attacked Clary's face with makeup, filling in her eyebrows and contouring her face. Clary looked in the mirror. Now, she looked maybe seventeen, only a year above her actual age. Izzy painted Clary's lips with a matte wine color and caked mascara on her lashes.

Finally, Izzy insisted on dressing Clary up. She handed her a tight green dress and a pair of black velvet heels. Clary looked at the outfit, unable to understand what fun Izzy got out of putting on tight clothes at ten at night, but she put it on anyways. Clary looked in the mirror and shrugged. She wasn't going to admit to Izzy that she really loved the way she looked and felt unbelievably sexy, because Izzy would never let her live it down. Clary shrugged instead.

"You go get us some water, okay? I'm gonna take off my makeup so you can do mine when you get back" Izzy demanded, hiding it under a question. Clary sighed, but agreed, making her way out of Izzy's room and down the marble staircase and into the kitchen.

The lights in the kitchen were on, And Jace was sitting on the counter eating an apple. Clary froze, hoping that he wouldn't look up. Much to her protests, he looked up and raised his eyebrows at her.

"No such luck" she muttered to herself, walking over to the cabinet where the Lightwoods kept their cups, trying to avoid Jace's gaze.

"Est-ce que vous et Izzy allez quelque part, rouge?" he asked. Clary rolled her eyes, grabbing two cups and turning around.

"No, we're not. Why do you ask?" Clary said, a smile grabbing at the corner of her lips. She filled the cups with water and turned.

"Because she's practically my sister" Jace replied like it was nothing. Clary smiled to herself again.

"Well, you don't need to worry. We're not leaving" she sighed. It was adorable that he loved Izzy like a sister. Clary walked up the stairs, holding the water in her hands, trying to not spill it.

"Took you long enough," Izzy said. Clary put the cups down and walked over to where Izzy sat. "I'm ready" she told Clary with a smile.

Clary pulled Izzy's hair back, tying it up onto of her head. She grabbed the concealer, but Izzy grabbed Clary's arm.

"I-I already have some on" she said, her voice sounding nervous. Clary shrugged and put the concealer down, grabbing the only blush Izzy had, the liquid stain kind. She put some on her cheeks and blended it. Some of it moved the concealer aside. Izzy froze.

"Izzy, what's wrong?" Clary asked as Izzy sat still, her eyes fixed on the spot of skin on her cheek where the concealer was missing.

There was a deep purple bruise under it, something that was certainly not blush.

 **Okay! So I was going to add all the translations at some point, but I've gotten two reviews asking to translate it because it is pretty confusing. (Note: The only languages I fluently speak are English and Chinese, so I use Google Translate for these Spanish and French phrases. Okay?)**

 **CHAPTER TWO TRANSLATIONS:**

Perra estúpida. Cállate: Stupid bitch. Shut up

Qué mierda, hombre? Suéltame, bastardo. No ves que estoy en medio de algo aquí: What the fuck , man? Let me go , you bastard . Do not you see I'm in the middle of something here?

Salir de aquí antes de que llame a la policía en su culo, conseguido eso?: Get out of here before I call the police on your ass , got that?

O le gustaría que yo cuidaré de ti mismo: Or you would like me to take care of you myself?

Oye, estás bien?: Hey, you okay?

Sí. Estoy bien. Gracias por salvarme, guapo: Yes. I'm okay. Thank you for saving me, handsome.

Dios mio: My goodness

Responder a la pregunta , imbécil: Answer the question, asshole.

 **CHAPTER THREE TRANSLATIONS:  
** rojo: Red

No. But jesús, español no es una lengua romántica. Trate de francés o alemán, o incluso chino: No. But jesus, Spanish is not a romantic language. Try French or German, or even Chinese

Vous trouvez ce romantique, rouge?: You find this romantic, red?

Elle ne vient pas de vous, toi cocky douchebag: Not from you, you cocky douchebag

Oh s'il te plait. Tout ce que je fais est romantique: Oh please. All I 'm doing is being romantic

Oui, chéri: Yes, dear

Est-ce que vous et Izzy allez quelque part, rouge: Are you and Izzy going somewhere, red?

 **That's it! I'll be sure to add the translations at the end of each chapter!**

 **Also, I reposted this because I had Clary being super sassy and I didn't actually explain why. Don't worry, sassy Clary will definitely make a return!**


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